Semua Bab IT STARTED WITH A LIE AND ENDED WITH US.: Bab 61 - Bab 70

The evening air hit Bianca's skin like a gentle whisper as she stepped out of the company building, but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside her chest. Her heels clicked against the marble steps—each sound echoing the frantic rhythm of her heart. She had spent the past nine hours buried in spreadsheets and client calls, and exhaustion clung to her bones like wet clothing.Then she saw him.Justin leaned against his car with an ease that felt almost insulting. The setting sun caught the angles of his face, illuminating the sharp line of his jaw and the curve of his lips as they stretched into that bright, disarming smile she remembered too well. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine—crisp white shirt rolled to his elbows, dark trousers hugging his legs, and those eyes that had once mapped every inch of her soul.Bianca's breath caught somewhere between her throat and her chest.No. Not tonight. Not ever again.His hand rested on the car door, fingers curled ar

Justin wandered around the hospital building, his footsteps echoing against the polished linoleum floor. The corridors stretched endlessly before him, identical in their sterile whiteness—doors marked with room numbers, hand sanitizer stations at every corner, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead with a sound that set his teeth on edge.Antiseptic hung in the air like a physical presence—sharp, chemical, invasive. It clung to the back of his throat and settled in his lungs with every breath. The smell was everywhere: in the waiting room chairs, in the folds of the nurses' scrubs, in the very walls themselves. Silent sweat formed on his forehead, beading along his hairline and trickling slowly down his temple. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, but more followed.He couldn't believe he was in a hospital instead of being at the McKenzie's mansion, trying to woo his way into Bianca's life. He had planned everything—the flowers, the words he would say, the careful way he would sho

"There, that's my momma's room," Kiara whispered, her tiny voice echoing faintly in the long, sterile hospital corridor. She pointed a small, trembling finger toward a door at the far end, then reached up and gently grabbed Justin's pinky finger with her whole hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong for a child so small, filled with a desperate kind of hope. She was about to pull him forward when a sharp, familiar voice sliced through the quiet from the opposite direction."There you are!" Mrs. Miller’s voice was a mix of relief and exasperation. She let out a heavy, almost theatrical sigh as she strode toward them, her heels clicking an impatient rhythm against the polished linoleum floor. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, swept over the scene before her—Justin, kneeling down to the little girl’s level, their fingers intertwined. A small frown creased her perfectly made-up forehead. "And who," she asked, her tone cooling slightly, "is the little girl?"Justin felt a strange flutter of pa

He didn't get to complete his sentence. Kiara scrambled off the floor in the blink of an eye, her earlier pain completely forgotten, and launched herself at him. Her small arms wrapped around his neck with the strength of a vice, and her legs hooked around his waist like a tiny koala."Don't let her take me, please!" Kiara begged, her face buried in his shoulder. Her voice was muffled but urgent.Justin blinked, utterly bewildered. "Kiara?" Monica called out, her voice carrying a note of stern disapproval. A frown settled on her face. "What has Momma told you about hanging on people you don't know?" She stepped forward, reaching for the little girl.But Kiara only tightened her grip on Justin's neck, her small fingers digging into his collar. Her body tensed, and she shook her head defiantly. "He's no stranger!" she retorted, her voice surprisingly firm for someone so small. "He's my friend! He promised to help me, and he said sorry for leaving!"For the first time since Monica had st

"Here's your ice cream, Mister!" she announced proudly. She opened her small backpack—a glittery purple thing covered in cartoon unicorns—and pulled out a small bowl with exaggerated care. It was vanilla, topped with rainbow sprinkles and a single pink gummy bear. "I picked the best one for you. Because you're my favorite."Justin's heart clenched painfully. He took the bowl from her small hands, his fingers brushing against hers, and felt an overwhelming rush of emotion he couldn't name. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said, his voice rougher than he intended.After handing it to him, Kiara carried the remaining bowls—two more—to Bianca's desk. With considerable effort, she climbed onto the chair, then onto the desk itself, arranging herself like a queen holding court. "This one is for Momma," she said, pushing one bowl toward Bianca, "and this one is for me. See? I got us all the same kind so nobody feels sad."Bianca glanced at Monica, who stood by the door with an apologetic shrug. He